On Monday, Rahul Gandhi told students of the Aligarh Muslim University during an interactive session, that India can have a Prime Minister belonging to any religion provided he/she is able.

On Monday, Rahul Gandhi told students of the Aligarh Muslim University during an interactive session, that India can have a Prime Minister belonging to any religion provided he/she is able. “When will India have a Muslim Prime Minister? If today a Sikh could become the PM, then why not a Muslim? But, he (Manmohan Singh) is not the PM because he is a Sikh, it’s because he is capable. It’s not about what religion or community you come from, it’s about what you bring to the table, what capability you have,” he said.

He assured the students of a future that would be decided strictly on merit. To a girl who asked him about working towards becoming the PM, he asked, “Why don’t you prepare for it (the Prime Minister’s office)?”

Gandhi, who was in town to address university students and teachers and attend a Youth Congress meeting, urged the students to participate in politics in a large way.

He asked a student to name a few national-level Muslim youth leaders. After a pause, only two names were offered – Salman Khursheed of the Congress and Omar Abdullah of the National Conference.

Gandhi said there should be many more names for one to make a choice in a few years.